How to import, update or delete Salesforce records from a CSV or Excel

Short answer: the Data Import Wizard covers a limited set of objects and can’t delete, and Data Loader is a desktop application to install. doDev, a free Chrome extension, loads, updates or deletes records of any object from a CSV file or rows pasted from Excel – and shows the rows that will likely fail before anything is sent.

Data Import in doDev: column to field mapping and the records as they will be sent, before the run

Load records with doDev

Install doDev and open it from the toolbar while you are logged into Salesforce.
Go to Data → Data Import.
Pick the object and the Operation – Insert, Update (by Id), Upsert (by an external Id), Delete or Hard delete.
Bring the records: ⬆ Import file (or drop a CSV), 📋 Paste rows (Ctrl+V straight from Excel or Google Sheets), or ✎ Mass update – pick records from a query, list view, report or pasted Ids and give a field one new value.
Check the mapping (columns to fields – matched by name) and the rows marked Possible error: missing required fields, unknown picklist values, bad dates.
Click the run button, e.g. Update 450 records. Results appear as each batch finishes; ⬇ Results CSV has every row’s Id or error.

⚙ Settings (as in Data Loader): REST, Bulk API or Bulk API 2.0, batch size, the date format in your file, whether blank cells clear a field, serial mode and assignment rules.

Doing it without a tool

Data Import Wizard (Setup) – accounts, contacts, leads, solutions, campaign members and custom objects, up to 50,000 records; no delete.
Data Loader – Salesforce’s desktop application: every object and operation, but it has to be installed and kept up to date.

Common questions

Can I undo an import? No tool can. Deleted records go to the Recycle Bin for 15 days (hard-deleted ones don’t). Keep your file and the results CSV.

Does it warn me on production? Yes – a production org gets a warning next to the run button.

More how-to guides: all guides · doDev help